GREENS
GREENS
GREENS
&
&
&
BLUES
BLUES
BLUES
B
B
U
U
I
I
L
L
D
D
I
I
N
N
G
G
S
S
U
U
S
S
T
T
A
A
I
I
N
N
B
B
L
L
E
E
G
G
UI
UI
T
T
A
A
R
R
S
S
by
Franxuante
THIS BLOGPOST IS DEDICATED TO THE GUITAR LEGEND
EDDIE VAN HALEN, WHO PASSED AWAY 2 YEARS AGO.
Introduction
Had you ever heard
of
the song Greens and Blues
b
y
P
i
x
i
e
s
,
y
o
u
m
i
g
h
t
r
e
c
og
n
i
z
e
h
a
l
f
o
f
t
h
e
t
i
t
l
e
.
T
h
e
’90s permanent
wave and alternative rock classic played an indispensable
role in cultivating me
to
a rock
f
a
n
a
s
w
e
ll
a
s
a
g
u
i
t
a
r
a
f
i
c
i
o
n
ad
o
.
F
o
r
m
a
n
y
people, the modern
art of
guitar is
embedded in the figure
of
Jimi Hendrix, who plays his iconic
wild
BLUES on a 1964 Fender Strat with a ROSEWOOD
n
e
c
k
.
Y
e
t t
h
e
a
r
t
o
f
g
u
i
t
a
r
,
a
s
w
e
ll
a
s
i
t
s
m
a
t
e
r
i
a
l
,
evolved
over the past decades and became more and more GREEN
in recent years. My blogpost is
going to shed a light on the
measures, policies, and
l
a
w
s
o
n sus
t
a
i
n
ab
l
e
g
u
i
t
a
r
p
r
o
d
u
c
t
i
o
n
.
G
i
v
e
n
t
h
e
c
o
m
p
l
e
x
i
t
y
o
f
g
u
i
t
a
r
c
o
m
p
o
s
i
t
i
o
n
,
i
n
c
l
u
d
i
n
g
i
t
s
h
e
ad
,
n
e
c
k
,
b
o
d
y
,
b
r
i
d
g
e
,
e
t
c
.
,
m
ad
e
f
r
o
m
d
i
ff
e
r
e
n
t
m
a
t
e
r
i
a
l
s
,
t
h
i
s
a
r
t
i
c
l
e
w
i
ll
o
n
l
y
f
o
c
us
o
n
the main material
–
tone
woods
–
which serves for bodies and necks (head and neck
are usually carved as a whole, and some guitars like
Strandberg are headless.).
Jimi Hendrix
Rosewood
/Maple
Neck
https://www.amazon.
com/Guitar-Neck-
Canada-Maple-
Fret/dp/B08BBKVN1
W
As mentioned previously, the neck of the 1964
Fender Strat was made of rosewood,
so were those of
many other vintage
g
u
i
t
a
r
s
.
Ma
r
t
i
n
T
a
y
l
o
r
w
e
r
e
t
h
e
f
i
r
s
t
o
n
e
t
o
use rosewood for acoustic guitars and
follows Gibson, which consumed ¾ of the rosewood
in the guitar industry (Black, 2013).
A lot of guitarists
are obsessed with the
vintage rosewood fingerboards
(some necksare combinations of rosewood
fingerboards a
n
d
m
ap
l
e
b
o
tt
o
m
s
.
)
f
o
r
i
t
s s
t
ab
i
l
i
t
y
,
t
o
n
e
,
and the smooth feel on the surface for
sh
r
e
dd
i
n
g
(
g
e
n
e
r
a
ll
y
r
e
f
e
r
s
t
o
f
a
s
t
,
v
i
r
t
u
o
s
o
playing).
However, their obsession might
have to end. From
2005 to 2015, it is
estimated that in total 9874
tons of
r
o
s
e
w
oo
d
h
ad b
ee
n
i
ll
e
ga
ll
y
t
r
ad
e
d
.
Excessive rosewood logging has a lot of
n
e
ga
t
i
v
e
e
n
v
i
r
o
n
m
e
n
t
a
l
i
m
pa
c
t
s
,
i
n
c
l
u
d
i
n
g
r
e
d
u
c
t
i
o
n
i
n
b
i
o
d
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y
,
i
n
c
r
e
a
s
e
i
n
likelihood of forest fires, and
degrading soil
f
e
r
t
i
l
i
t
y
(
B
a
rr
e
tt
e
t
a
l
.
,
2
0
1
0
)
.
T
o
p
r
e
v
e
n
t t
h
e
extinction of rosewoods and reduce the
negative impact of logging, CITES
(
Co
n
v
e
n
t
i
o
n
o
n
I
n
t
e
r
n
a
t
i
o
n
a
l
T
r
ad
e
i
n
Endangered Species) decided
to ban rosewood trading on 2nd January, 2017. Asa
r
e
su
l
t
,
m
us
i
c
i
a
ns
w
e
r
e
n
o
t
a
ll
o
w
e
d
t
o
travel with
rosewood guitars when crossing b
o
r
d
e
r
s
o
n
t
o
u
r
,
l
e
t
a
l
o
n
e
t
r
ad
i
n
g instruments made of rosewood.
3
Although the ban on rosewood instruments is moving to sustainability, it’s hard to intuitively
consider it fair to ban an instrument made of rosewood less 10 kilograms. The main
contributor of rosewood being endangered is the furniture industry that has a great market
in China. According to Annah Lake Zhu, the Chinese furniture market, with an estimated
value of 26 billions of USD, depletes the most rosewood resources for making antique
furniture following a cultural renaissance. Hence, as the majority expected, the ban on
rosewood-made instruments was lifted in August, 2019. The new policy excluded all the
other species except for the Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) for musicians. In light of
this measure, the APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, being in charge of species protected under either the U.S.
Endangered Species Act
(
r
o
s
e
w
oo
d
s
a
r
e
n
o
t
un
d
e
r
i
t
s
p
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
,
si
n
c
e
t
h
e
y
’
r
e e
x
o
t
i
c
)
o
r
C
I
T
E
S
,
r
e
g
u
l
a
t
e
s
t
h
e
entry of instruments made of Brazilian rosewoods. The APHIS’s
regulation on rosewoodis based on the Lacey Act, which combats unlawful trafficking of
wild faunas and floras. To trade rosewood-made instruments, an individual has to apply for a
valid Protected Plant Permit by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to part 335,
Code of Federal Regulations. In spite of the regulations, some companies are still involved in
illegal wood trading. In 2011, Gibson were sued to trade Brazilian rosewood as well as other
species like Madagscar ebony and Mahogany.
In addition to the American regulations, it is also worth paying attention to their
counterparts in Europe and Asia, where mainstream guitar companies like Höfner
(
G
e
r
m
a
n
y
)
a
n
d
I
ba
n
e
z
(
f
r
o
m J
apa
n
,
h
av
i
n
g a
l
o
t
o
f f
a
c
t
o
r
i
e
s i
n
C
h
i
n
a
.
)
l
o
c
a
t
e
s
.
T
h
e
E
U
was relatively
tolerant to rosewood-made instruments. Right after the ban in 2017, the EU didn’t
prohibit individuals and households to carry a rosewood-made instrument below 10
kilograms in their luggage. For music ensembles, as long as each member doesn’t carry such
an instrument over 10 kilograms, they will be permitted to travel with the instruments.
Besides, the EU also exempted non-commercial trade of rosewood-made instrument, and
non-commercial trade includes personal use, performances, competitions, repairments, and
loans. In Asia, Myanmar and peninsular Malaysia, where some rosewood species grows, had
banned rosewood logging in 2014. China regulates logging but not trading. The Chinese
National Department of Forestry and Grasslands and CITES MA in China only serves to
supervise illegal trafficking and logging of national protected species (Zhang & Chen, 2022).
So far, companies like Ibanez could still import and export rosewood
(
g
u
i
t
a
r
s
)
from their
C
h
i
n
e
s
e
f
a
c
t
o
r
i
e
s
.
4
Pau Ferro
Since the ban on rosewood in 2017, Fender has been switching to Pau
F
e
rr
o
w
oo
d
s
f
o
r
g
u
i
t
a
r
f
i
n
g
e
r
b
o
a
r
d
s
.
G
u
i
t
a
r
s
w
i
t
h
P
a
u
F
e
rr
o
f
i
n
g
e
r
b
o
a
r
d
s
a
r
e
m
o
s
t
p
r
o
d
u
c
e
d
i
n
F
e
n
d
e
r
’
s
M
e
x
i
c
a
n
f
a
c
t
o
r
i
e
s
,
w
h
i
c
h
focuses on building non-custom and non-vintage
series. The most common player series, which I play, are made of Pau Ferro woods as
well.Personally, I find it a graceful substitution for rosewood, just as Fender
a
ll
e
g
e
d
,
‘
sn
app
y
a
tt
a
c
k
,
c
r
e
a
t
i
n
g
a
c
r
i
s
p
,
c
l
e
a
r
s
o
un
d
.
’
P
a
u
F
e
rr
o
i
s
not a novelty following the
ban on rosewoods in 2017. In the 80s, Stevie Ray Vaughan led the second wave of
southern blues over his Pau-Ferro-made signature g
u
i
t
a
r
.
F
o
r
t
un
a
t
e
l
y
and
un
f
o
r
t
un
a
t
e
l
y
,
P
a
u
F
e
rr
o
i
s n
o
t
l
i
s
t
e
d b
y
C
I
T
E
S,
and so far there’s no restrictions on
Pau Ferro. Yet we might not have to
worry about it, since they only serve for the
music industry. Unlike rosewood, they are not popular in the
f
u
r
n
i
t
u
r
e
i
n
d
us
t
r
y.
Maple
People often compare maple necks with their rosewoods counterparts.
A
l
o
t
o
f
h
i
g
h
-
e
n
d g
u
i
t
a
r
s
a
r
e also
m
ad
e
o
f
maple wood.
Some ‘maple necks’ refer to an
entire neck made of maple, while some means the back that holds the
f
i
n
g
e
r
b
o
a
r
d
m
ad
e
o
f
o
t
h
e
r
m
a
t
e
r
i
a
ls
.
Maple woods are also a sustainable
choice.
I
n
addition to its rich sound and endurance, maple woods are famous for its
t
e
x
t
u
r
e
.
Its
s
m
oo
t
h
f
ee
l
m
ad
e
i
t t
h
e
m
o
s
t
ad
o
r
e
d neck back
,
w
h
e
r
e
guitarists
anchor their palms. A smooth neck back makes it easier for players to flexibly
move around the entire neck, especially during improvisations. Ecologically
speaking, maple woods are pretty promising as well. Maple woods grows at a
staggering rate of
1
c
u
b
i
c
m
e
t
e
r
/
3
.
3
1
s
.
T
h
e
g
r
o
w
t
h
o
f
A
m
e
r
i
c
a
n h
a
r
d
m
ap
l
e
e
x
c
ee
d
s
i
t
s h
a
r
v
e
s
t
,
resulting in a net increase of 8.8 M cubic meters per year.
The increase of itsp
o
p
u
l
a
t
i
o
n
can facilitate c
a
r
b
o
n s
e
q
u
e
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
.
Moreover
,
as a
native species (mainly in New England), American hard maple
reduces
t
h
e
c
a
r
b
o
n
f
oo
t
p
r
i
n
t
s
from transportation
.
T
h
e
f
i
g
u
r
e
b
e
l
o
w
d
e
m
o
ns
t
r
a
t
e
s
other sustainable
factors of maple woods. However, certain maple species are concerned by the
international community. In 2015, the Lacey Act coped with the illegal harvesting
o
f
b
i
g
l
e
a
f
m
ap
l
e
i
n
G
i
ff
o
r
d
P
i
n
c
h
o
t
N
a
t
i
o
n
F
o
r
e
s
t
.
Anyway
,
maple woods still
remain a sustainable choice, since
more tropical woods might be endangered in the
near future
.
5
Body
SRV
https://ultimatecla
ssicrock.com/stevi
e-ray-vaughan-
dies/
The discussion on body would be modest compare to the previous
t
e
x
t
s
,
s
i
n
c
e
w
e
’
v
e
a
l
r
e
ad
y
r
e
v
i
e
w
e
d
t
h
e
m
o
s
t
c
o
n
t
r
o
v
e
r
s
i
a
l
r
o
s
e
w
oo
d
.
Mahogany
Mahogany woods are widely used for guitar bodies. Like many other
endangered wood
species listed by CITES, Mahogany is one of the tropical
woods that are distributed in
central America, Bolivia, and Brazil. Since I’ve
n
e
v
e
r
p
l
a
y
e
d a Ma
h
og
a
n
y
-
m
ad
e
g
u
i
t
a
r
,
t
h
e
w
o
r
d
s
b
e
l
o
w
a
r
e
t
o
t
a
ll
y
t
a
ke
n
f
r
o
m
comments online
:
‘
Ma
h
og
a
n
y
i
s
b
e
tt
e
r
a
t
c
r
e
a
t
i
n
g
r
e
s
o
n
a
n
c
e
a
n
d
w
a
r
m
t
o
n
e
s
.’
T
hat might be the
m
a
j
o
r r
e
a
s
o
n
w
h
y
i
t
’
s
ad
o
r
e
d b
y
a
l
o
t
o
f
p
l
a
y
e
r
s
f
o
r
acoustic track recording
.
Ma
h
og
a
n
y
w
a
s
l
i
s
t
e
d b
y
C
I
T
E
S
pretty
early. Mexican
Mahogany was listed in 1975, Cuban and Honduran ones being
listed in 1992 and 1995. In
November 2003, the international community agreed on regulations for bigleaf
Mahogany businesses. Following this
m
e
a
su
r
e
,
E
S
A
(
E
n
da
n
g
e
r
e
d
S
p
e
c
i
e
s
Act, in the U.S.
)
barred
Mahogany from trading and possessions
.
U
n
f
o
r
t
un
a
t
e
l
y
,
G
i
b
s
o
n
company
s
t
i
ll
possesses
illegal Mahogany woods.
6
Ash&Alder
Ash and Alder are common materials
for
electric
guitar bodies. Ash is considered
to
b
e
goo
d a
t
t
a
k
i
n
g
f
i
n
i
sh
(
t
h
e
c
o
l
o
r
e
d
l
a
y
e
r
on the body). The
swamp Ash, distributed in
southern
U.S.,
has good
resonance
for
its
s
o
f
t
n
e
ss
a
n
d p
o
r
o
s
i
t
y
.
Co
m
pa
r
e
d
t
o
A
sh
,
Alder is not that excellent but cheaper and
more accessible. Its habitats range from Tropic
of
C
a
n
c
e
r
t
o
p
o
l
a
r
a
r
e
a
s
.
C
u
rr
e
n
t
l
y
,
o
n
l
y
A
sh
(
F
r
a
x
i
nus
Ma
n
d
shu
r
i
c
a
,
a
s
p
e
c
i
e
f
r
o
m Russia) is listed by
CITES and subsequently
banned by the
EU.
Although the American
m
a
r
k
e
t
i
s n
o
t
a
ff
e
c
t
e
d by
this measure
,
F
e
n
d
e
r
h
a
s
r
e
c
e
n
t
l
y
been replacing Ash
–
the DNA of its sound
–
to
Alder. In 2019,
Fender received the worst swamp Ash harvesting due
to
the flood in the Mississippi River.
E
rratic
precipitations due to climate change is a major threat
to swamp Ash woods
.
John Frusciante
holding a Martin
015made of
Mahogany
while
recording Road
Trippin'
https://www.groundguitar.com/jo
hn-frusciante-gear/john-
frusciantes-1940s-martin-0-15/
Alder
Ash
https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i
ndex.php?threads/poll-telecaster-
body-wood-alder-ash-or-it-
doesnt-
matter.2203113/page-2
7
Discussion and Conclusion
T
h
e
c
u
rr
e
n
t
r
e
g
u
l
a
t
i
o
ns
o
n
t
o
n
e
w
oo
d
s
a
r
e
far from sufficient. For example,
for
the threat of
climate change, we might need to regulate the exploitation of swamp Ash. Meanwhile,
stricter market regulations and penalties should be imposed to address illegal transactions, as
seen in the case of Gibson. Interestingly, Gibson is currently facing bankruptcy, which raises
questions about its ability to meet tax obligations and fines. As part of the solution, we could
consider imposing VAT taxes on guitars made from illegally sourced woods. Moreover, why
not explore subsidy-based solutions? Take Gibson, for example: the company has struggled
with deficits while trying to preserve its traditional identity. This commitment to legacy has
garnered more criticism than praise from modern players. One of Gibson's key challenges has
been its lack of innovation over the years. A lot of players complain about the inaccessibility
of the higher frets frustrating, and many are indifferent to the ‘vintage tones’ from the
tonewoods, given the accessibility of more and more advanced audio techs. Subsidies could
help Gibson break free from this cycle, fostering innovation and eventually phasing out
illegally sourced woods. This approach could also benefit other companies in similar
situations, especially as the guitar market has become increasingly monopolized. For instance,
did you know that Jackson and Charvel, once independent, are now owned by Fender to cater
to metal players? In this context, it’s only reasonable to hold larger corporations accountable
for sustainable practices. Additionally, subsidies could be extended to civil groups. In 2016,
Tom Bedell launched the "Musicians for Forests" campaign to protect Alaska’s over-logged
Sitka Spruce. Initiatives like this, driven by passionate individuals, deserve funding and
support.
Guitar builders could also consider more unconventional species. For example, bamboo is among
t
h
e
m
o
s
t
f
a
s
t-
g
r
o
w
i
n
g
w
oo
d
i
n
t
h
e
w
o
r
l
d, and it’s highly managable.
U
s
e
d
f
o
r
f
l
u
t
e
s
a
n
d
X
i
a
o
(
a
C
h
i
n
e
s
e
i
ns
t
r
u
m
e
n
t
,
a v
e
r
t
i
c
a
l
f
l
u
t
e
)
,
ba
m
b
oo
h
a
s
a
r
i
c
h
t
o
n
e
a
n
d
c
a
n
l
a
s
t
l
o
n
g
,
t
oo
.
More
importantly
,
experienced players would argue that the tone is dictated by the finish but not
the wood, while modern players are less dependent on tonewoods. Instead, they expand tone
ranges via digital pedals and advanced audio programming. In the end, as a geek who grinds
for guitar every day, I’d love to reveal a truth to you: the key of your tone is not your wood,
your pedals, your amp, or the software you install. It’s your hands.
S
o
,
c
h
oo
s
e
sus
t
a
i
n
ab
l
e
m
a
t
e
r
i
a
l
s
,
kee
p
sh
r
e
dd
i
n
g
,
play blues and more GREENS. I’ll see you on stage in a more sustainable
future.
8
References
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https://www.americanhardwood.org/en/american-hardwood/american-hard-maple
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APHIS. (2020b, September 24). USDA APHIS | CITES (Endangered Plant Species). Usda.gov.
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talk/ash-vs-alder-whats-the-diff
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